Julia K. Elrod

Welcome to my personal website! I am a third-year statistics PhD student at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) with a focus on statistical genomics. I grew up in the small college town of Oberlin, Ohio, and did my undergraduate degree in mathematics at Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio (a tiny village!). Following graduation, I completed a postbaccalaureate fellowship at the National Cancer Institute, where I worked with Dr. Philip Rosenberg on kernel smoothing problems with applications in cancer epidemiology. At CMU, I am advised by Dr. Will Townes, studying statistical methodology for the analysis of single-cell RNA-seq data and multimodal sequencing data. During my first year, I completed a project which explored genetic colocalization methods. Currently, I collaborate with the Torok lab at the University of Pittsburgh, studying RNA expression in pediatric scleroderma patients.

Forever a product of the liberal arts, I have many interests outside of research. I love to read, alternating between fiction and books on psychology, biomedicine, and other topics that excite me. Over the past few years, I've become obsessed with interior design and even make videos documenting the ways in which I've transformed my own spaces. I like to run. It gets me outside and keeps my head clear. And most importantly, I have two darling cats, Rory and Theo. They are the center of my world and make the best company while I'm doing research!